8 Traits Your New Hire Should Have

What’s one underappreciated trait you look for in all new hires?

1. Communication

“We look for candidates who over-communicate: they reconfirm times and locations for interviews a day in advance, they email thank-you notes after screening calls, and they follow up if they don’t hear anything. We know this trait will help ensure that they won’t have a miscommunication at work and that very little will slip past them.”

2. Restlessness

“I always ask new hires what they do in their spare time, and I place value on hobbies and activities that require an active mind and serious ambition. If team members shows passion off the clock, then this will inevitably translate into their ability to be passionate about their work.”

3. Involvement

“I’ve personally found that people involved as leaders in clubs, student government or other organizations on campus (unpaid, but very active) are some of the best people who go above and beyond at work. I always look for those activities on résumés, and I try to understand their real involvement. For me, finding active students translates into active employees.”

4. Entrepreneurship

“Because my company is small, each person is treated as an entrepreneur in charge of her own domain. Too many companies shy away from entrepreneurial employees, but I embrace them. Everyone I hire has the curious, can-do attitude of an entrepreneur.”

5. Hustle

“Having employees who are hustlers is essential. Not just in what they do — whether it’s sales, technical, marketing or anything else. You can teach processes, but you can’t teach someone how to hustle. Having an innate personality of being a hustler means he will do everything he can to help propel the business forward.”

6. Happiness

“We’re looking for well-balanced, mentally healthy employees who have found a sense of happiness in their lives. Happy employees serve our clients brilliantly, work through conflict respectfully and don’t infuse unnecessary drama into the business.”

7. Curiosity

“Technology moves quickly. To stay up to date, a strong sense of curiosity is needed. I like to hear about the new tech people are using and their opinions on using it. A good developer is not a stagnant one. He knows what’s happening on the bleeding edge, as well as what is stable enough to be used for mission critical applications.”

8. Time Management

“When we conduct our interview process, we look for people who are really organized and great at managing time. If we feel they are not, then we know they will never be able to finish a project on time, and that may not be good for the team or for your business. The last thing you want is a team member who procrastinates and makes other team members look bad because of his or her time management.”

Photo Credits

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.